Community efforts can preserve agricultural land, encourage sustainable agricultural practices, support local food producers, and facilitate the production and distribution of locally-produced food through farmer's markets and cooperative food buying programs. This section presents examples of whole systems approaches to sustainable agriculture.
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Alternative Farming Systems Information Center (AFSIC), Room 304, National Agriculture Library, US Department of Agriculture, 10301 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, MD 20705-2351, Tel: 301.504.6559, Fax: 301.504.6409, Email: afsic@nal.usda.gov, Website: http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic. AFSIC locates, collects and provides information to citizens concerned about sustainable agriculture.
American Community Gardening Association (ACGA), 100 N. 20th Street, 5th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103-1495, Tel: 215.988.8785, Fax: 215.988.8810, Email: sallymcc@libertynet.org, Website: http://communitygarden.org. ACGA, a national membership organization of professionals, volunteers and supporters of community greening in urban and rural communities, works to promote and support all aspects of community food and ornamental gardening, urban forestry, and preservation and mangement of open space.
American Farmland Trust (AFT), 1200 18th Street, NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20036, Tel: 202.331.7300, Fax: 202.659.8339, Email: cberetz@farmland.org, Website: http://www.farmland.org. AFT works to stop the loss of productive farmland and to promote farming practices that lead to a healthy environment.
Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA), P.O. Box 3657, Fayetteville, AR 72702, Tel: 800.346.9140, Email: askattra@ncatark.uark.edu, Website: http://www.attra.org. ATTRA, operated by the National Center for Appropriate Technology, is a national sustainable farming information center that provides technical assistance to farmers, Extension agents, market gardeners, agricultural researchers, and other professionals.
Bio-Integral Resource Center (BIRC), Box 7414, Berkeley, CA 94707, Tel: 510.524.2567, Fax: 510.524.1758, Email: birc@igc.apc.org, Website: http://www.birc.org. BIRC develops integrated pest management programs and suggests alternatives to conventional pesticides.
Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association, Bldg. 1002B, Thoreau Center, The Presidio, P.O. Box 29135, San Francisco, CA 94129-0135, Tel: 415.561.7797; 800.516.7797, Fax: 415.561.7796, Email: biodynamic@aol.com, Website: http://www.biodynamics.com. The Association educates the public on biodynamic agriculture and conducts conferences, workshops and seminars.
California Institute for Rural Studies, P.O. Box 2143, Davis, CA 95617, Tel: 916.756.6555, Fax: 916.756.7429, Email: cirsmail@cirsinc.org Website: http://www.cirsinc.org. CIRS conducts research and outreach aimed at improving lives, conditions, and economies of rural areas. It publishes a quarterly newsletter, "Rural California Report."
The Center for Living In Harmony, 13802 Little Creek Lane, Valley Center, CA 92082, Tel: 760.749.9634, Fax: 760.749.0720, Email: info@livinginharmony.org, Website: http://www.livinginharmony.org. The Center operates a 10-acre nonprofit demonstration farm for sustainable agriculture north of San Diego, CA.
Center for Rural Affairs (CFRA), P.O. Box 406, Walthill, NE 68067-0406, Tel: 402.846.5428, Fax: 402.846.5420, Email: info@cfra.org, Website: http://www.cfra.org. CFRA engages in research, education, advocacy and service work to build rural communities that stand for social justice, economic opportunity, and environmental stewardship.
Chefs Collaborative 2000, 25 First Street, Cambridge, MA 02141, Tel: 617.621.3000, Email: oldways@tiac.net, Website: http://www.chefnet.com/cc2000. This collaborative of leading chefs concerned about sustainable food choices encourages chefs nationwide to buy produce close to home and to design menus around seasonally fresh foods.
Collective Heritage Institute (CHI), 826 Camino de Monte Rey, Building A6, Santa Fe, NM 87505, Tel: 505.986.0366, Fax: 505.986.1644CHI conducts public and media education to promote a solution-oriented culture of environmental restoration. Its projects include the annual Bioneers Conference and the Restorative Development Initiative, an innovative economic development program founded in ecological agriculture and indigenous and family farms.
Community Food Security Coalition, P.O. Box 209, Venice, CA 90294, Tel: 310.822.5410, Fax: 310.822.1440, Email: asfisher@aol.com, Website: http://www.foodsecurity.org. The Coalition is a network of organizations and individuals whose mission is to promote community-based solutions to the nation's farming, nutrition and hunger problems. It serves as a resource center, provides training and technical assistance, and conducts federal policy advocacy.
Community Supported Agriculture of North America, Indian Line Farm, Box 57, Jugend Road, Great Barrington, MA 01230, Tel: 413.528.4374, Email: csana@bcn.net, Website: http://www.umass.edu/umext/csa. This website provides a description of community supported agriculture, an extensive list of publications, periodicals, videos and organizations, and listings of US and Canadian CSA farms.
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Links, Email: rfarm@jps.net, Website: http://www.jps.net/rfarm/csa/html. This website contains links to the home pages of active CSA farms.
Edible Schoolyard, Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, 1781 Rose Street, Berkeley, CA 94703, Tel: 510.558.1335, Fax: 510.558.1334, Email: edible@lanminds.com This school project in Berkeley, CA, creates and sustains an organic garden and landscape which is wholly integrated into the school's curriculum and lunch program.
EPA Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), 401 M Street, NW, Washington, DC 20460, Tel: 703.305.5017, Website: http://www.epa.gov/pesticides. OPP's mission is to protect public health and the environment from the risks posed by pesticides and to promote safer means of pest control.
Henry A. Wallace Center for Agricultural and Environmental Policy at Winrock International, 1621 N. Kent St., Ste. 1200, Arlington, VA 22209, Tel: 703.525.9430, Website: http://www.winrock.org/what/wallace_center.asp. The Center uses policy analysis, research, and evaluation to further sustainable and equitable agriculture and food systems, promote natural resources management, strengthen rural communities, and shape U.S. agricultural and food policy agendas.
Henry A. Wallace Institute for Alternative Agriculture, 9200 Edmonston Road, Suite 117, Greenbelt, MD 20770-1551, Tel: 301.441.8777, Fax: 301.220.0164, Email: hawiaa@access.digex.net, Website: http://www.hawiaa.org. The Wallace Institute encourages and facilitates the adoption of low-cost, resource-conserving, environmentally sound, and economically viable farming systems by providing the leadership and policy research and analysis necessary to influence national agricultural policy.
Intergarden, Website: http://sunsite.unc.edu/london/permaculture.html. This website contains archives of information, active discussion forums and collections of links, all developed for and coevolving with an international community interested in a variety of sustainable agriculture and other sustainability issues.
Just Food: NYC Sustainable Food System Alliance, 307 Seventh Avenue, Suite 1201, New York, NY 10001, Tel: 212.645.9880, Fax: 212.531.4849Just Food works with groups to deliver healthful, affordable, locally-grown food to people of all income levels. It enables New Yorkers to become more involved in their own food supply, supports the region's farmers, and creates community-based urban and rural jobs.
Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Highway, 271 S., Box 588, Poteau, OK 74953, Tel: 918.647.9123, Fax: 918.647.8712, Email: mailbox@kerrcenter.com Website: http://www.kerrcenter.com. The Center provides leadership, technical assistance, farming demonstrations, applied research, and education for farmers and ranchers who seek ecologically and economically sound methods of producing food and fiber.
Land Stewardship Project, 2200 4th Street, White Bear Lake, MN 55110, Tel: 612.653.0618, Fax: 612.653.0589, Email: danaj@maroon.tc.umn.edu This program promotes sustainable agriculture and prudent land use.
Minnesota Project, 1885 University Avenue W., Suite 315, St. Paul, MN 55104, Tel: 612.645.6159, Fax: 612.645.1262, Email: water007@gold.tc.umn.edu This project provides assistance on rural community issues and natural resource management, including sustainable agriculture and renewable energy.
National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture, P.O. Box 396, Pine Bush, NY 12566, Tel: 845.744.8448, Fax: 845.744.8477, Email: campaign@sustainableagriculture.net, Website: http://www.SustainableAgriculture.net. The Campaign is a network of over 2000 groups and thousands of individuals who are working to shape national policies to foster a sustainable food and agriculture system.
National Family Farm Coalition (NFFC), 110 Maryland Avenue, NE, Suite 307, Washington, DC 20002, Tel: 202.543.5675, Fax: 202.543.0978, Email: nffc@nffc.net, Website: http://www.nffc.net. NFFC serves as a national link for grassroots organizations working on family farm issues.
Rodale Institute, 611 Siegfriedale Road, Kutztown, PA 19530, Tel: 610.683.6383, Fax: 610.683.8548, Email: info@rodaleinst.org
The SuperMarket Project, c/o Rural Coalition, 1411 K Street, NW, Suite 901, Washington, DC 20005, Tel: 202/628-7160, Fax: 202/628-7165, Website: http://www.supermarketcoop.com. The Rural Coalition's SuperMarket Project allows small minority farmers and farming cooperatives from the US and Mexico to market their goods directly through the web.
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE), Room 3868, South Building, Ag Box 2223, Washington, DC 20250-2223, Tel: 202.720.5203, Email: sare@reeusda.gov, Website: http://www.sare.org. SARE is a U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded initiative that sponsors competitive grants for sustainable agriculture research and education in a regional process nationwide.
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP), University of California - Davis, Davis, CA 95616-8716, Tel: 916.752.7556, Fax: 916.754.8550, Email: sarep@ucdavis.edu, Website: http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu. SAREP provides leadership and support for scientific research and education to encourage farmers, farmworkers, and consumers in California to produce, distribute, process and consume food and fiber in a sustainable manner.
World Sustainable Agriculture Association (WSAA), 2025 I Street, NW, Suite 512, Washington, DC 20006, Tel: 202.293.2155, Fax: 202.293.2209, Email: wsaadc@igc.apc.org, Website: http://www.igc.org/wsaala. WSAA is an educational, research, advocacy and service organization that promotes agricultural sustainability.
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Ableman, Michael, Cynthia Wisehart, Alice Waters. On Good Land: The Autobiography of an Urban Farm. (San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books, 1998). This book tells the story of the development of an organic farm, now the Center for Urban Agriculture at Fairview Gardens in Goleta, CA, completely surrounded by housing developments and strip malls.
Alexander, Ben. The New Frontiers of Ranching: Business Diversification and Land Stewardship. (Tucson, AZ: Sonoran Institute, 2000). This book profiles ranchers who are successful using niche marketing, guest ranching, or small business development to generate new income and enhance the quality of the natural resources found on their ranches. To obtain this resource contact the Sonoran Institute, 7650 E. Broadway Blvd., Suite 203, Tucson, AZ 85710; Tel: 520.290.0828; Email: sonoran@sonoran.org; Website: http://www.sonoran.org.
Allen, Patricia, ed. Food for the Future: Conditions and Contradictions of Sustainability. (New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, 1993). In this detailed examination of the critical social, political, economic and ethical aspects of sustainability in food and agriculture, 15 experts address practical and theoretical factors regarding a change to sustainability and discuss new approaches.
Berry, Wendell. The Unsettling of America: Culture & Agriculture. (San Francisco, CA: Sierra Club Books, 1996). This book examines modern agriculture and its relationship to American culture - our health, economy, personal relationships, morals, and spiritual values.
Biehler, Dawn et al. Getting Food on the Table: an Action Guide to Local Food Policy. (Community Food Security Coalition and California Sustainable Agriculture Working Group, March 1999). This guide provides information for assessing how city and county policies affect food production and distribution, and how they can be changed to promote community food security. To obtain this resource contact the Community Food Security Coalition, P.O. Box 209, Venice, CA 90294; Tel: 310.822.5410; Email: Asfisher@aol.com.
Brown, Lester and Hal Kane, contributor. Full House: Reassessing the Earth's Population Carrying Capacity. (New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1994). This book asserts that the world's farmers can no longer be counted on to feed the growing world population and proposes strategies for reducing over-fertility and protecting the agricultural base.
City Farmer. Urban Agriculture Notes. (Vancouver, BC, Canada: Canada's Office of Urban Agriculture). This website contains many useful documents on urban agriculture and links to other sites to promote urban food production and environmental conservation. This resource can be found online at: http://www.cityfarmer.org.
Community Alliance with Family Farmers. 1998 National Organic Directory. (Davis, CA: Community Alliance with Family Farmers, 1998). This volume contains listings of buyers and sellers of organic products, essays, resource groups, and more. To obtain this resource contact CAFF, P.O. Box 363, Davis, CA 95617; Tel: 530.756.8518.
CONCERN, Inc.. Farmland: A Community Issue. (Washington, DC: CONCERN, Inc., 1987). To obtain this resource contact CONCERN, Inc.: 1794 Columbia Road, NW, Washington, DC 20009, Tel. 202.328.8160, Fax 202.387.3378., Email concern@igc.org.
Daniels, Tom and Deborah Bowers. Holding Our Ground: Protecting America's Farms and Farmland. (Washington, DC: Island Press, 1997). This book can help landowners and communities devise and implement effective long-term strategies for protecting farmland.
Daniels, Tom. When City and Country Collide: Managing Growth in the Metropolitan Fringe. (Washington, DC: Island Press, 1998). This guide examines the rural-urban fringe phenomenon and presents a workable approach to fostering more compact development and better, more sustainable communities in those areas.
deGraaf, John, producer. Beyond Organic: The Vision of Fairview Gardens. (2000). This video tells the story of an urban farm in Goleta, CA, and its long battle to survive in the face of rapid suburban development. To obtain this resource contact Bullfrog Films, P.O. Box 149, Oley, PA 19547; Tel: 800.543.3764; Email: info@bullfrogfilms.com; Website: http://www.bullfrogfilms.com.
Gips, Terry et al. The Humane Consumer and Producer Guide. (The Humane Society of the United States and International Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, 1993).
Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health Clearinghouse. Educational Resources in Agricultural Health and Safety. (Iowa City, IA: The University of Iowa, 1999). This resource catalog, which focuses on the needs of educators in the farming community, provides extensive materials that address the multitude of agricultural health and safety issues. To obtain this resource contact Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health, The University of Iowa, 103 IREH, Oakdale Campus, Iowa City, IA 52242-5000, Tel: 877.611.4971. Fax: 319.335.4225.
Groh, Trauger and Steven McFadden. Farms of Tomorrow. (Kimberton, PA: Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association, Inc). To obtain this resource contact Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association, Inc., P.O. Box 550, Kimberton, PA 19422.
Gussow, Joan Dye. This Organic Life: Confessions of a Suburban Homesteader. (White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing Company, 2001). In this combination memoir, polemic, and gardening manual, Joan Gussow discusses the joys and challenges of growing organic produce in her own New York garden.
H. John Heinz III Center of Science, Economics and the Environment. Designing a Report on the State of the Nation's Ecosystems: Selected Measurements for Croplands, Forests, and Coasts & Oceans. (1999). This document describes key features of croplands, forests, and coasts and oceans in order to establish a framework for future reports on the use and condition of natural resources in the United States. To obtain this resource contact the H. John Heinz III Center, 1001 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 735 South, Washington, DC 20004; Tel: 202.737.6307; Fax: 202.737.6410. This resource can be found online at: http://www.us-ecosystems.org.
Healthy Harvest Society. Healthy Harvest: A Global Directory of Sustainable Agriculture and Horticultural Organizations. (Davis, CA: agAccess, 1992). To obtain this resource contact agAccess, 603 4th Street, Davis, CA 95616, Tel.: 916.756.7177, Fax: 916.756.7188.
Jackson, Wes. Becoming Native To This Place. (Washington, D.C.: Counterpoint, 1996). In six essays, the author lays the foundation for a new farming economy grounded in nature's principles and located in dying small towns and rural communities.
Jackson, Wes. New Roots for Agriculture. (Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1985).
Institute for Local Self-Reliance. The Carbohydrate Economy. This quarterly newsletter gives up-to-date information on plant matter-derived alternatives for chemicals, fuels, energy, and fiber. To obtain this resource contact ILSR, 1313 5th Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414; Tel: 612.379.3815; Fax: 612.379.3920.
Lawrence, Kathy and Linda Elswick. From the Ground Up... and Around the World: Project Profiles of Grassroots Initiatives in Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development. (West Hollywood, CA: World Sustainable Agriculture Association (WSAA), 1995). To obtain this resource contact WSAA at 8554 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood, CA 90069, Tel : 301.657.7202, Fax: 310.657.3884, Email:wsaaLA@igc.apc.org or wsaa@compuserve.com.
McFadden, Steven and Trauger M. Groh. Farms of Tomorrow Revisited: Community Supported Farms Farm Supported Communities. (Bio-Dynamic Farming & Garden Association, 1998). This updated textbook for the community supported agriculture (CSA) movement lays out the philosophies and actions behind CSAs and provides practical examples and information that will be of service to growers and shareholders. To obtain this resource contact the Bio-Dynamic Farming & Garden Association, Building 1002B, Thoreau Center, The Presidio, P.O. Box 29135, San Francisco, CA 94129-0135; Tel: 888.516.7797; Fax: 415.561.7796.
National Catholic Rural Life Conference. Religious Congregations on the Land: The Practical Links Between Community, Sustainable Land Use, and Spritual Charism. (August 1996). The case studies in this report describe the land stewardship practices of a number of rural religious communities and provide practical ideas and working models for sustainable agriculture and sustainable community. To obtain this resource contact the NCRLC, 4625 Beaver Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50310-2199; Tel: 515.270.2634; Fax: 515.270.9447; Email: ncrlc@aol.com.
National Research Council. Alternative Agriculture: Committee on the Role of Alternative Farming Methods in Modern Production Agriculture. (Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1989).
Payne, Karen and Deborah Fryman. Cultivating Community: Principles and Practices for Community Gardening as a Community-Building Tool. (Philadelphia, PA: American Community Gardening Association, 2001). This resource guide showcases how community gardening programs can advance community development, empower local leadership and nurture families, strengthen economic development, and improve overall quality of life. It provides tips on how to approach community gardening as an organizing tool and features stories and case studies from gardens around the country. To obtain this resource contact the American Community Gardening Association, 100 N. 20th Street, 5th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103-1495; Web site: http://www.communitygarden.org.
Phillips, Michael. The Apple Grower: A Guide for the Organic Orchardist. (White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing Company, 1998). This book combines traditional wisdom with the latest scientific knowledge of apple pests and their life cycles to produce a thorough guide to growing delicious varieties of apples.
President's Council on Sustainable Development. Sustainable Agriculture: Task Force Report. (Washington DC: President's Council on Sustainable Development, 1996). To obtain this resource contact the President's Council on Sustainable Development Publications, 800.363.3732. This resource can be found online at: http://clinton2.nara.gov/PCSD/Publications/TF_Reports/ag-top.html.
Thrupp, Lori Ann. New Partnerships for Sustainable Agriculture. (Washington, DC: World Resources Institute, 1996).
US Department of Agriculture. Guide to USDA and Other Federal Resources for Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry Enterprises. (SARE Program, Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, Forest Service, and USDA's Resource Conservation and Development program., 1998). The guide lists basic information on over seventy federal programs that can be helpful to farmers, small entrepreneurs, nonprofit organizations, rural communities and others in the sustainable agriculture movement. To obtain this resource contact the Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas program (ATTRA); Tel: 1.800.346.9140.
Van En, Robyn and Cathy Roth. Community Supported Agriculture: The Producer/Consumer Partnership. (Great Barrington, MA: Community Supported Agriculture of North America). To obtain this resource contact CSANA, Indian Line Farm, Box 57, Great Barrington, MA 01230; Tel: 413.528.4374.
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Buckwheat Growers of Illinois, Sumner, Ill.; A non-profit organization provides educational functions and serves as a marketing cooperative for farmers who raise buckwheat that helps to improve the soil and reduce the use of pesticides.
Carrington Research Extension Center, Carrington, N.D.; A university-based research center has been active with local farmers to promote sustainable, while-farm approaches to sustainable agriculture, with new crops and indoor aquaculture.
Center for Rural Affairs/Land Link Project/Rural Enterprise Assistance Project, Walthill, Neb.; A rural organization has pioneered efforts to promote sustainable agriculture throughout the U.S., including linking generations of farmers and aiding the development of small rural businesses.
Chesapeake Community Supported Agriculture (CCSA), Upper Marlboro, Md.; A partnership between food growers and consumers shares economic risks, and benefits from the increased availability of inexpensive, locally-grown, healthy, organic, fruits and vegetables.
Green Harvest Program,McKeesport, Penn.; A Pittsburgh food bank has a multi-dimensional program to provide nutritious food to inner city residents, using gleaning, community gardens, an organic farm, and neighborhood farmstands. McKeesport, Penn.
Meadowcreek Local Food Project, Fox, Ark.; A rural non-profit organizations has worked with a local private college dining hall and helped to organize an organic restaurant and canning facility to promote the consumption of local produce.
The Land Institute, Salina, Ks.; An innovative educational and research organization has been working for 20 years to promote sustainable agriculture, using test sites, an experimental farm and an ecological community.
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Sustainable Communities Network (SCN) Revised November 4, 2002